Posted: 2003.09.04(Thu)17:58 Post subject: School for 20g w/ a pair of kribs?

Well, well, well, I've been bit by the bug...the one that makes you get bigger tank that is. LOL! OK here's the story, I gave my sister (Lizthefish) my 10g for some shellies. I had to have a tank other than the 5g so I decided on a 20g. I found one at petsmart for a low price of $44.50 (with PetPerks card), including the hood and florecent light. I plan on buying another male krib, but I would like a little more than just a pair of kribs. (Can I put a pair in there without a problem like in the 10g?)

I decide on a school of some HARDY tetras. My only worry would be if the kribs ever had fry they would kill the school. Would this be a problem in a 20g?

I'd think in a krib breeding tank, anything but the parents (and sometimes not even them!) would be prime targets....I'm sure that no matter how fast tetras are, the krib parents could be faster.

Plus, that would be a lot of stress on said school of tetras._________________But if you tame me, then we shall need each other....You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.
~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

You may consider putting something in there that is less a show school of fish and more a group of dither fish. In other words, picking a "pretty" school of fish may not work as the species you're looking at probably won't stand up to krib aggression. To be honest, the difference in 'a school of fish for the tank' and 'dither fish' is more about your idea of the purpose of the fish.

That said, I think having dither fish in some of these dwarf cichlid tanks really helps. I've recently set-up three tanks of small cichlids, and I can really tell a difference in the ones with dither fish. For me, I'm just using some wild guppies I bought several months ago at 10/$1. However, they've already gone through quarantine and I'm confident they're clean. Every once in awhile a smaller one "disappears" or their babies "disappear." They also get chased around a bit and harassed at feeding time. Probably not the kindest lives for these fish, but still probably a step-up from feeder fish. Using dithers may also help in your inner-pair aggression. In other words, that female was full of beat'em-up hormones and the only thing to beat up was the male. If you have some dither fish to grab some of that attention away things may go better. Having an extra 10 gallons will also help a bunch. Another common dither species to look into may be zebra danios._________________

I was thinking about getting zebras, but they seem to be very sickly, or that' what I've heard, I really don't want to have another sickly tank (I had to many diseases from the molly tank a few months back ) I would have never thought of guppies, I sorta thought they were brackish?

What I really what these fish to do is just swim around and if they
get "eaten" (all long as they all don't) it won;t really matter, sorta cheap healthy fish. know any??(if any...LoL)

Zebrafish (Zebra danios) would be okay as they stay near the top of the water and will be ignored by the kribs. 20g is perfect IME for a pair.

Another option would be other top dwelling fish. Hatchetfish can work, as can dwarf rainbows.
As always, cichlids can be reasonable or they can be nasty ones. Any fish you choose runs some risk of getting attacked. However, the fast moving zebra, or dwarf rainbows should be able to evade any pursuit._________________Discus Man is gone... I remain... #6... I am not a number I am a free man!

Danios are like the SUPER FISH! They withstand everything. Super hardy. Not at all "sickly". They love the top of the tank and swim super fast. They are cheap two. If you don't like zebras there are leapord, gold, blue, and long finned and short finned zebras and leapords. I have 2 long finned gold, 2 short finned zebra, and 2 long finned zebra. Great fish. they go well with many types of fish since they adapt to different levels of pH.

As for the kribs. My cousin has a 55 gallon with a breeding pair. They spawned and died trying to protect their young because they never ate. He had shoal of 15 neon tetras, one figure eight puffer, and a black finned rainbow shark. The tank was very empty but they still died. Actually the female killed the male to protect them and then died of starvation. So some fish especially big schools may scare them. if you saw a big red and blue ball coming at your babies you would proably be scared too! _________________I like danios. I also like cichlids and shrimp and tetras and gourami and... this could go on for a while.

They couldn't withstand my crayfish, for one....._________________But if you tame me, then we shall need each other....You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.
~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Zebr danios would make a poor choice IMO and IME. They are fast enough to be avoided, but thats not really a good idea. When mom decides to take the babies for a walk, the zebras like ot dart in along the edges and try to eat the baby fish(and getting away unscathed most of the time). Wild guppies, though slow, work much better because they pose no threat to the fry, though you may have to quarantine them first.

Its not the fish species that is sickly, its usually the treatemnt the supplier gives them, or perhaps the genes of the particular stock.